Kamen Rider 555 Alternate: Us against the World
by Azure of the Auspicious Rain
Summary: The second side of the Incubator system. Three belts exist, created to fight those with magical powers. When the Faiz belt falls into the hands of a boy who wants nothing more than to protect his mahou shoujo friend, the system will change. Mostly OCs
1. Complete: Kamen Rider Faiz

Author's note: Madoka just fills me with so much inspiration! For some reason, I feel like writing more Madoka Crossovers... oh well, here we go.

P.S. For those of you who still follow 24 Days- The Second Mitakihara Case, Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about it.

P.S.S. I am a Kamen Rider fan (Have been since I was 8) and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Kamen Rider 555 Alternate: Me and her Against the World

Prologue: Complete- Kamen Rider Faiz

_The only constant in the universe is that it is destroying itself._

_ That, and the strangeness of creatures we call "humans". _

_ All humans desire. It is a constant. They strive for materialistic or even strange emotional goals._

_ It is when the person's possibility can no longer keep up with the desire itself that we Incubators step in._

_ We give them an opportunity to become Puella Magi. We give them the opportunity to gain something they normally could not have._

_ In return for a price._

_ It is when they refuse to pay that price that we send another force into action. _

_ The Three Kamen Riders: Faiz, Kaixa and Delta. _

_ They are humans who gave up everything to transcend humanity and become one step closer to the perfect beings. It is their duty to maintain a steady rate of corruption and despair in the system. It is their duty to eliminate excess witches to make sure that new... sacrifices would always be necessary._

_ But humanity seems to always find ways of messing things up._

_ Name of Incubator recording: Kyubey. It has been twenty four years since the witch known as "Walpurgis Night" destroyed Mitakihara City. _

_ This is the other story of the unexpectedness of humans._

XXXXX

April 2nd

It was the day after Shirokawa Ryou's second most hated day in the year: April Fools. Apparently, people didn't have anything better to do than play pranks on each other. His most hated day in the year was Halloween.

Grumbling about the various pranks played on him, he walked down the halls of Asumaro Middle School. He was about to enter his classroom when a girl about his height -moderate-, a mischievous face and green hair tied in twin tails stood in his way.

"Morning, Ryou."

"Reiko... you..." Ryou grumbled.

"Don't tell me you're still sore about that prank yesterday... I mean, it was harmless."

"Do you have any idea how long it took to get that marker off my face?"

Shirokawa Ryou and Kurosawa Reiko were best friends. However, if anyone in the class was confronted with that fact even two months ago, their first reaction would be akin to "you're crazy". They expressed their friendship in a constant back and forth war of annoying the hell out of each other.

Of course, none of the classmates knew that under that facade of animosity lay a deep comradeship.

"Oi! Ryou! Reiko!" another voice, this time male, came up to them. He had brown hair and glasses in front of black eyes.

"Shiro. Good morning." Ryou grumbled.

"Morning Shiro!" Reiko said, giving the newcomer a grin as they shared satisfaction in teasing Ryou.

"Is he still sore about that yesterday?" Mizuhiro Shiro asked.

"Yep."

It had been thirteen months since the incident that made the three of them friends. For Shiro, the world was at equilibrium.

But that would soon change.

XXXXX

It was during the evenings when it would happen. Reiko would take out a glowing gem. Ryou would take out a suitcase filled with strange objects. Late at night, around Asumaro city, the two would begin the night's worth of fighting.

"This way." Reiko would lead the way, letting the soul gem direct them to monsters called "Witches". Occasionally, they would encounter "familiars" instead. It didn't matter.

The two walked for a while around the sleeping town, the only light being the glow of her soul gem.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with it?" Ryou would occasionally ask.

"It's not possible. It's a piece of my soul."

"That would explain why it was broken."

"What do you mea- hey!" she slapped him in the shoulder for that. The routine would happen almost every night.

Just then, there was an abrupt stop outside of an alley. "It's here."

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked, suddenly serious and opening the briefcase.

"Positive." she replied. She held out her soul gem and transformed, donning a green-themed dress and holding a spear with green jewels imbedded. Her soul gem was now hidden among her hair-bands. "Hurry up." she chided Ryou.

"Don't rush me." he grumbled as he put on a strange belt with an empty slot in the centre. Holding up an equally strange cell phone, he dialled the numbers "5-5-5" and pressed Enter.

"Standing by." the belt said in a mechanical voice.

"Henshin!" Ryou inserted the cellphone into the slot.

"Complete." the belt said.

A pattern of red lines came out of the belt, formed it's way around his body and glowed. Soon, he was encased in a black, silver and red bodysuit.

"Remind me again what this is supposed to be called?" Reiko asked.

"Apparently, I'm Kamen Rider Faiz." he told her, remembering what he read in the labelling around the suitcase.

"Kamen Rider? What the heck of a name is that supposed to be?" She sniggered.

"Shut up, Sailor Moon." he retorted. Reiko looked like she was about to snap back, then opened the way into the labyrinth and the two of them went inside.

The first thing that confronted them was the flames. Flames were everywhere. Rising up like towers; the fire was so thick they could barely see the path in front of them.

"I guess that the theme of this witch is rather obvious." Ryou stated.

"You think?" Reiko scoffed. Both were protected from the usually fatal flame, Reiko by magic and Ryou by the armour he wears.

Suddenly, from the flames dozens of pixie like creature arose. Reiko saw them and readied her halberd. Ryou, on the other hand, took out the cellphone from his belt, dialled "1-0-3", pressed ENTER and bent it so it was shaped like a gun.

"BLASTER MODE." the cellphone/gun announced.

Pointing at the familiars, he fired at the ones on the left, shooting out red lasers from his phone, while Reiko battled the ones on the right. It was relatively short work. Almost pathetically so.

"Ha, I finished faster than you." Reiko grinned at the Kamen Rider as they continued on their way.

"Pfft, yeah right. That's because you only had ten to fight. I had fifteen."

"Those last five did not count. They were too close and too easy of an target."

"Targets are targets."

The pair continued their bickering as they walked down the fiery halls. They stopped once they got to the centre. In the middle was what looked like a giant phoenix. Large fiery runes were dancing around her, and as flames spilled out of her they formed into more of the familiars.

"A large fire bird. What the heck do we do?"

"I'll take on the bird." Ryou instructed. "You keep the pixies out of my way."

"Argh, fine." she groaned. "Hogging all the glory." she muttered.

"Hey, I heard that!"

"Good!"

Ryou sighed as he took his fighting stance in front of the phoenix. Since it was, well, fire, he decided that simply rushing up and punching wouldn't do any good, so he got out another strange device with the words "Faiz Edge" on it. Activating the device, a red lightsaber like weapon activated. Charging at the bird, he took a slash to see how it would go. To his satisfaction, the portion of fire that had been cut off from the bird sizzled and disintegrated.

Screeching at the loss of a portion of her precious fire, the phoenix reared up to attack, sending a stream of fire at the Kamen Rider, who dodged it with ease. He slashed again, taking off a bigger piece of the phoenix's body.

Through the eyes of the Faiz Armour, he analyzed the witch. The witch had less than 50% of it's energy left. He could finish it now. Taking out a queer cylinder-like object, he attached it to his feet. He then opened the cellphone on his belt and pressed "Enter".

"EXCEED CHARGE."

He knelt down on one knee, waiting for the energy to load. When it did, he ran towards the phoenix, who was still roaring. Leaping, a shot of laser fired and formed into a red digital drill pointing at the phoenix.

Twirling in the air, Ryou/Faiz kicked at the phoenix , the red drill leading his kick and destroying the phoenix. The Greek letter "Phi" hung red in the air for a moment, marking another victory.

"About time." Reiko said with a grin on her face as Ryou turned to face her. The barrier around them crumbled, reverting to a normal dark alley. Seeing as the battle was won, Ryou pressed a button on the cellphone, cancelling the transformation and returning him to being a normal human. Reiko also reverted to her normal human form. Placing the belt back into the suitcase, Ryou turned to her. "You're fine, right?"

"Yeah, of course." she rebutted, then winced as she tried to hide a burn. The notion did not escape Ryou's notice. "You're hurt!" he exclaimed.

"Nothing serious." she waved it off as she began to walk. "Come on. It's late. We have a math test tomorrow."

Ryou sighed, worried for his friend. But, as always, she refused to accept that she needed help. Sighing, he bent up and picked the strange black gem that witches usually dropped. "You forgot this." he reminded her, tossing her the grief seed. Catching it, she turned back with a thankful smile and continued on her way as Ryou sighed, picked up the suitcase containing the strange belt and went on his way as well.

It had been a year since he had gained the Faiz Belt. For him, the world was at equilibrium.

But that would soon change.


	2. Exceed Charge: Fighting With You

Chapter 1: Exceed Charge – Fighting with You

"Hey," Shiro asked as the three sat around a table, "How come you two look so tired?"

"We went out... hunting last night." Reiko muttered, her head against the desk attempting to fall asleep.

"Oh."

The reason why the three of them, despite their drastically different personalities – one was uncaring, one was mischievous and one was calm and quiet – was because of a shared secret.

Rather, the secret of magic.

As Ryou continued to pretend to grumble, he remembered

XXXXX

_One year ago_

If anyone was asked to describe Shirokawa Ryou, the first answer the person would receive would be "loner".

It summed him up. He knew it. He didn't mind. He didn't care. They left him alone and he didn't have to bother with _them_, with "them" being anyone else. He didn't have any parents. Some say he killed them. Others say they didn't want him. He didn't care what they said. At least, he pretended not to.

Each day, he forced himself on like this, forcing himself to pretend he didn't care about others. How desperately he wanted to change that.

And how strange it did.

XXXXX

_At the same time_

If anyone was asked to describe Kurosawa Reiko, the first answer the person would receive would be "perfect".

She was part of the "in" crowd. To others, she had everything. She had good grades. She had people to hang out with. People to go to karaoke with. People to sneak into movies with. Everyone looked up to her.

Which was why she knew no one considered themselves _alongside_ her.

It hurt her more than she allowed it to show. She couldn't tell them that she didn't want their respect, that she just wanted their trust; their friendship, someone to be with her. How desperately she wanted to change that, and how strange that a white little creature with pink eyes did so.

XXXXX

_At the same time_

If anyone was asked to describe Mizuhiro Shiro, the first answer the person would receive would be "loser".

He had nothing. His grades were good, but that was it. People made fun of him. They played pranks on him. They called him names and stole his stuff. They scribbled in his books. Who could help it? He was the stereotypical loser; almost a perfect one. People claimed it would be strange _not_ to prank him. Oh, how he wished that would all change.

And how it took a girl's wish to do so.

XXXXX

Reiko became a Puella Magi within a night. The three became close friends in two days. Ryou became Kamen Rider Faiz in two weeks.

It was Reiko's first time fighting a witch. Previously, she had only fought familiars. To her, it was rather nerve wrecking despite the awesome power she felt as a Puella Magi. It still amazed her how strong she was when she took out her soul gem and underwent her transformation. Although it did feel a bit embarrassing at times, she was aware no one was watching. As she walked around town, she caught the signal of a witch that was near Asamaro Bridge.

Meanwhile, Ryou walked the bridge, staring at the ground. He didn't feel like he could keep the facade going anymore. He was able to pretend not to care for a long while, but lately it felt like it was just too much.

"This sucks..." he muttered as he continued walking. "No one cares. No one understands me. I _do_ want to have friends, it's just... it's just I don't know what to do. What's life without friends..."

Just then, a foreign thought that sounded completely rational at the time intruded upon his mind.

_Then in that case, it's better to die, right?_

"That may be the case..." he muttered.

_Yes. Just die._

"Just die..." he closed his eyes.

Big mistake.

By the time he noticed that the rational thoughts were foreign, it was a bit late. He opened his eyes in panic. The peaceful scene around him, the ideal image of suicide, had disappeared. Instead, he was in some horrendous mosaic of disfigured pictures.

"What... what the hell!" he stumbled back. In front of him, several glowing Zombies had appeared.

"What... no... get away!" he yelled, trying to crawl back. One of them was about to reach him.

That was when there was a sound of metal cutting through flesh.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that the zombie had been split in half, it's two halves lying on the ground. In front of him was, in his eyes, an angel. A saviour.

But when he saw past the dangerous and elegant halberd, the green themed dress and the glow, the girl seemed a bit familiar. As if he had seen her before.

Then it hit him. He _had _seen her before. At school.

"Re-Reiko!" he asked, shocked.

"Glad you're alive." she muttered. "Stay there."

"What are you-"

"She is a mahou shoujo." a cute voice said behind him. "She is one who hunts witches."

"It's only my first time fighting a big one," Reiko told him as she charged in, hacking and slashing, "But I think I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?"

And with that, she leaped up with a yell and split the witch, Izabel, in half. The two halves of the witch resembling a Victorian arc split and fell, disappearing with an explosion. As Reiko stood victoriously, Ryou stood there, amazed, and Kyubey simply swished his tail.

Turning towards Ryou, she smiled. "You okay?"

"Ye-yeah..." he managed to say. "I guess..." feeling a sudden impulse to act as the man in the situation, he asked "How about you? Did you get hurt?"

"Not a scratch." she grinned. She extended an arm. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

XXXXX

"So... you're a Puella Magi? And you fight witches?"

"Yep. Here." Reiko handed him a can of pop as they walked towards school the next day. "Those things feed off of human negativity and sad emotions. Speaking of which..." she turned to him. "What were you thinking that let a witch attack you?"

"I... I was thinking about how no one understood me." he admitted, head low. "I wanted friends."

She took a moment of silence, then whacked him on the head. "Don't be stupid." she scolded. "If you want friends, then I'll gladly be one."

"Eh?"

"You heard what I said. Let's be friends. I don't mean the cheap kind that usually hang around me for the popularity either. I mean that we can trust each other. We understand each other; help each other out. We be there for one another and support one another. Got it?" she smiled.

Ryou was stunned for a few moments. Was friendship really just this simple? A mere act of mutual consent? Or was it something much deeper?

Deciding to ponder that deeper later, he nodded.

"...Sure." With that, the two clasped their hands.

_Yet despite that... _Ryou admitted, _I'm powerless to help her fight._

XXXXX

Over the next few days, Ryou experienced a dramatic change in the way he viewed the world. The fact that magic existed was only one of them. He never knew what it was like to have friends before; he had always pretended to shun them away. More and more he found Reiko as an important part of his life, someone there for him and someone he should be there for.

It was just not his luck that she also had a sense of justice. Each and every evening, without fail, she would go outside to fight as her alter ego, a mysterious magical warrior of justice. Each time, in order to alleviate his fears, he would insist on going with her. Yet, each time he watched, he could feel nothing but helplessness. It was in one such evening, a month after he met her, that the triangle would be completed.

"Hey Kyubey," he commented in the most casual tone he could muster one night as the group walked, "Is it possible for a male to fight witches?"

"Not as far as I know." the white creature responded. Reiko remained silent. Ryou, on the other hand, seemed depressed. Suddenly, Reiko interrupted them. "We're here."

"...be careful." he reminded her. Grinning, she held out her soul gem and transformed. It still amazed him as she jumped into the labyrinth.

He waited nervously. Looking at Kyubey, he saw that the little white creature was bored. He couldn't understand how it could be so careless like that. After all, he -Kyubey _is_ a "he", right?- he had been the one to ask her to fight.

A few minutes later, there was movement at the entrance to the Labyrinth.

"Reiko?" He called out. A few moments later, the labyrinth opened and she reappeared.

Along with someone else.

It took Ryou a few moments to recognize him. Then it hit him. He had seen the very people he rejected take out anger, frustration and occasionally nothing at all against this poor little soul.

"Is... is that Shiro? From our class?"

"Yep. The one and same." it appeared he was unconscious.

"Did he see you?"

"Nope." she replied. She placed him on the ground. He still looked pretty beat, despite being unconscious. "I think the witch was feeding off of him."

"But... he's alive, right?"

"Yeah. Just in time." she handed the boy to him. "Take care of him while I get rid of the witch." Before Ryou could respond, she leapt in. Ryou simply waited.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

"Kyubey..." Ryou asked, "What's taking her so long?"

"hmm..." Kyubey swished his tail. "Maybe... she's losing?"

Ryou panicked. He didn't understand how Kyubey could be so calm. "What are you doing! We have to go help her!"

"There is nothing we can do." Kyubey replied. "If she is smart, she will escape."

"But..." Ryou was stuck between an unconscious Shiro, an apathetic Kyubey and a friend in potential danger.

It was then that it started.

_Boy._

Ryou looked around. It was something speaking in his head. However, unlike the distorted voice of the witch, this time it was a normal female voice. Still, he did not want to be tricked again and kept his guard up. At the very least, he didn't dare blink.

_Boy, do you want to save her?_

Ryou looked around. _Her_ could only mean Reiko.

_Come, boy, and I'll give you the power to do so..._

Ryou gulped. He was in a dilemma. Reiko could be dying now. She might need his help. However, what if this was a trap? What if it was a witch again?

_...Do you want to save her or not!_

Ryou was jolted as if he was given an electric shock. Running, guided by the voice, he eventually reached an alley where a woman faced him.

"You..." she looked at him. Looking closer, Ryou realized she wasn't that old. Probably in high school, just a few years older than him and Reiko. "You answer my call?"

Ryou nodded.

She grinned. "Take this." she handed him a briefcase.

Ryou stared at it. "Is this... some kind of joke?"

"No joke." she said seriously. "Just take it!"

Ryou did so and opened it to reveal...

"A belt?" he was puzzled. "And a cellphone?" he held up a cellphone which seemed to have Greek lettering on it. However, it looked very technological.

"Put on the belt..." she said, and it was at this moment Ryou decided to wager all in and trust her. He put on the belt.

"Open the cellphone." she instructed. He did and saw dozens of three digit numbers. "Input the top one." she beckoned.

He did.

...5

...5

...5.

"Standing by." the phone reported.

For some strange reason, he had the urge to yell out. "Henshin!" he yelled and inserted the phone into the belt. As he did, his life changed.

Power. Immense power as he had never felt before flowed through him as red lines began to cross his body. Soon, they covered him completely and there was a flash of light.

With this, he could fight.

XXXXX

Reiko whimpered in pain as the witch clutched her body, which seemed comparatively tiny when put next to the large witch. It seemed to be a giant troll, with only the upper portion visible. Despite it's immobility however, she had gotten careless and it had caught her. She struggled to escape but the grip was too strong.

It was going to crush her. She knew it.

She was going to die. She knew that too.

It wasn't fair. Her wish had only just been granted... only a month ago... there was still so much she wanted to do...

_Ryou..._

She closed her eyes, preparing her self, when all of a sudden, a swishing sound pierced the air and she felt the death grip loosen. She expected to fall painfully, but arms guided her safely to the ground.

_Who-?_

Her first instinct was that it was another mahou shoujo, but it was different. She lay on the ground, coughing and regaining her breath when she opened her eyes.

Her first impression was that it was a knight in shining armour. However, only the chest plate shone. The rest of the body seemed to be black, with red lines making a strange outline of the body. She did not know who this mysterious saviour was. However, she received a shock when he spoke.

"Are you all right, Reiko?"

"R-Ryou!" the figure only nodded. "Stay here. I'll do the rest."

Still dumbfounded, she could only watch as the strange figure who claimed to be Ryou ran to confront the witch. The troll turned to face him and roared, but Ryou didn't stop.

_Jump... and hit it's head._ The woman's voice guided him through his first battle. Ryou obeyed, jumping as high as he had never believed himself possible of and hit the creature smack dab in it's forehead, causing it to roar in pain.

_Jump back – get out of it's reach before it retaliates. _ Ryou jumped back, the creature's swipe missing by inches.

_Now, again. This time, kick it's centre. _ Ryou sprinted, ducking to avoid one of it's blows and kicked the creature dead centre, causing it to roar in agony even more.

_Now, open your cellphone and press "Enter". _Ryou flipped open the phone and hit the top button and then snapped it shut again.

"Exceed Charge".

Again, he felt raw power, this time heading towards his leg.

_Now... finish this. When the power reaches your foot, jump and kick!_

With a yell, Ryou jumped, twirling in the air. A laser shot from him and turned into a red drill in front of the beast.

He could do this.

He kicked, and as he did the drill hit the witch, causing it to shriek before it exploded and the greek letter "Phi" hung in the air, red.

Ryou landed as the labyrinth dissolved and took a moment to catch his breath. But the exhilaration was real. He had done it. With this, he could protect Reiko. He de-transformed and took off the belt, turning around.

The moment he saw her, Reiko have a full fledged kick to his stomach. Cringing in pain, he yelled "What was that for?" however, he was shocked to see her _crying_.

"You... you idiot..." she was sobbing. "Why... why did you fight? What if you got hurt!"

"Wha-wha-what!" Ryou rebuked. "You're not one to talk, especially just after I just saved you!"

"But... I didn't want you to fight! I thought it was enough if it was just me!" she yelled.

"...you're acting really ungrateful for someone who just had their life saved." Ryou sighed. "What, you would rather be dead?"

"no, it's just that... I don't want to have to worry about you."

"Now you know how I've felt for the past month." Ryou sighed. "Do you have any idea how much I worried when you fight? Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to fight with you?"

"...how? Who gave this stuff to you?"

"This girl, right over he-" he turned towards the alley.

The girl was gone.

"A-anyways," he said, covering up his confusion, "What do we do with him?" he looked at Shiro, who was still unconscious.

"...I say we tell him the truth."

XXXXX

"And then we told you the truth."

"I remember that like it was only yesterday." Shiro smiled. "it's still amazing you two have been fighting together for around a year now."

"I'm surprised I still put up with him." Reiko glanced at Ryou, who scoffed.

"...are you two... tsunderes?" Shiro asked.

"What the heck is that?" the two asked simultaneously.

XXXXX

"Thank you for coming." Kyubey said to a strange boy in a high school uniform.

"No problem. Anyways, what's this problem?"

"Two problems." Kyubey replied. "A mahou shoujo and a Kamen Rider gone astray."

"...the Faiz one, huh." the boy grinned. "This would be interesting. I've beaten and technically 'killed' dozens of mahou shoujo, but fighting another Kamen Rider is probably going to be... fun." he said, fingering a Kamen Rider set with the words "KAIXA" displayed on it.

XXXXX

END of Chapter one

A/N: R and R. Please. I promise you the real plot starts next chapter with the introduction of Kaixa.


	3. Emmissary: Kamen Rider Kaixa

Chapter Two: Emissary of the Incubators, Kamen Rider Kaixa

XXXXX

_"Ryou..._" _Reiko's hand was in front of him, reaching out to him, desperate for his help. Ryou ran as hard as he could, trying to save her... A shadow got her... he reached out for the Faiz Belt, but to his horror, it had suddenly disappeared... it was nowhere to be found... _

_ "Ryou... why... why won't you save me?" Reiko whispered as the shadow engulfed her. To his horror, the shadow then became Reiko, except much more monstrous with demented eyes and blood all over. "I know why now. You couldn't. You were too weak. You couldn't save anyone. And now I'm the one who has to pay the price for your weakness.'  
>"No..." Ryou said, almost begging, praying for her to understand. "No, Reiko! Please, I tried my best to save you, but- but-"<em>

_ "You said you could fight! You said you would be alongside me!" The monster/Reiko spat. "It was all lies. And now I'm the one paying for it. Now I'll have my revenge!"_

_ "No, no! Reiko!" He yelled as the shadow lunged for him._

Ryou woke with a start. He covered his face with his hands, contemplating the scene he had just dreamt. He took a look, and to his relief the Faiz Gear was still there. He promised himself he wouldn't be weak; promised himself to protect Reiko.

But what if he failed? How would he ever live if he failed his friend?

He looked at his clock. It was three in the morning. He rolled around and tried to go back to sleep, but a part of him was scared that the same dreams would continue.

XXXXX

_"You liar!" Ryou snarled. Reiko was taken back. "Ryou... what-" _

_ "Don't pretend you don't know." Shiro cut her off. Both of them were looking at her with utmost hatred. "No wonder you had your 'little secret'. Everything was a lie. You lied to us. You used us. You betrayed us."_

_ "I swear... I didn't..." Reiko tried to explain, but the two wouldn't understand. _

_ "Standing by." the electronic voice of Ryou's Rider phone announced. "Complete". To her shock, Ryou transformed into Faiz and glared at her. "You lied to us." Ryou repeated. "You lied to Shiro and me. I won't let you lie any longer."_

_ "I... I..." Reiko couldn't say anything more. Ryou did not say a word as he opened his phone on his belt._

_ "Exceed Charge." _

_ Reiko only sobbed as the red drill headed towards her..._

Reiko opened her eyes and realized she was still in bed. She took a few moments to calm down, telling herself that Ryou and Shiro did not know her secret. However, the hurt in their eyes, their willingness to kill her, the Ryou from the dream who was ready to finish her off... she feared that such events would become reality.

_Calm down. I'm getting paranoid. _

Perhaps that was true. She had been under too much stress. Rolling over, she tried to go back to sleep.

XXXXX

_"Shiro-kun!" a young girl called out. Shiro wondered where he was. He definitely was not in Asumaro City. Instead, this place looked rural, with traditional houses and a temple in his line of sight. _

_ "Shiro-kun!" he turned to face the girl. She was young, probably around 6, with black hair and blue eyes. "Come on!" _

_ "Wait up!" Shiro heard a younger version of himself call out. "Wait, -"_

_ Suddenly, there was the sound of drums. Confused, he turned to see a strange crowd dressed in robes and carrying a shrine. The girl was part of the procession, along with at least a dozen girls her age as they marched towards the centre of the village._

_ Suddenly, he felt a grab from behind, jerking him back-_

Shiro woke with a start. Sitting up on his bed, he clutched his head in his hand. "What... was that?" he wondered out loud. He did not remember such a place, and the only possible rural locations he had seen were in anime, so there was no way his mind could create such a realistic depiction of a village like that... and that girl... he swore he never saw her before, so how did she know his name?

And what was he trying to yell out? Did he know her name? What was it? Why wasn't he able to yell it out? What was he trying to say?

Deciding to contemplate this on his own, he closed his eyes and tried to return to sleep.

XXXXX

The Next Day

Afternoon

Shiro sighed in relief as another labyrinth disappeared and his two friends stepped out. "You know," he looked at Ryou's Faiz gear, "You really don't know where I could get one of those?"

"No dice." Ryou replied. "If I can find that woman again, I'll tell her you want one." However, they all knew the only reason he could talk about it so jokingly was because it was so unlikely. All three of them knew that if they really were faced with an opportunity to grant Shiro a rider belt, then it would be much more serious.

"Anyways," Reiko cut in, trying to change the topic, "We should get going. It's still pretty early. We don't usually find witches until it gets dark. Let's grab something to eat."

And with that, their talk was bright again.

XXXXX

"Exceed Charge."

A Kamen rider with yellow outline on his black suit and purple eyes aimed his sword at a mahou shoujo, who was clutching her arm in pain. "W-why...?" she asked weakly.

"You don't know your true purpose." the Kamen Rider said casually as the sword charged. "It's nothing personal." With that, a light shot out of his sword and hit the girl immobilizing her. With a small yell, he slashed through her. She screamed in pain as she collapsed and her soul gem exploded, becoming a grief seed. The Rider grinned beneath his helmet as he saw the young girl finally evolve into what she should be.

"That's another one down. There goes my warm up." the Kamen Rider said as he de-transformed.

"Are you sure you can take on them like that?" Kyubey swished his tail. "One of them is a Kamen Rider like you, after all."

"A newbie like him beat me? Not a chance." the male grinned. "Besides, we're designed to fight mahou shoujo, not witches, right? Fighting a newbie and our speciality at the same time is a simple matter."

"...If you say so." Kyubey swished. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The guy stared at the creature. "You're talking to the last original Kamen Rider. Of course I know what I'm doing."

XXXXX

It was another school day. April fools was a memory now, albeit a painful one. The trio were at their usual hangout, a little cafe in town.

"Man, it's been a busy week." Ryou moaned as he lay on the table. "Fifteen witches in as many days. I just want a good night's sleep."

"Well, I wouldn't know." Shiro said, reading a book. "I don't have a Rider Belt like you do, so I can't fight."

"You don't need to remind us of that every time we mention fighting." Reiko deadpanned. "Are you that jealous?"

"Not jealous. I kind of feel... well, powerless." he admitted. "You two are fighting and if you're in trouble then there's nothing I can do to help you. You know how that felt." he said to Ryou. "During that month before you two saved me, you were like that, right? You understand, right?"

"I do, but..." he sighed. "I also understand now why Reiko was so against my involvement at the beginning. This isn't a game. Even by the fact you know this secret, I worry about you, as if a witch could attack you at any moment. If you were fighting too, then you have no idea how much we'd be worried."

"But... that's so hypocritical of you!" Shiro argued, but they refused to reconsider. Sighing in defeat, he continued reading his book while contemplating his dream last night. Half him wondered if he was over-thinking the whole thing. It was just a dream, after all.

"Umm... Ryou, Shiro," Reiko suddenly spoke up. "I have a question for you two."

"What?" Ryou looked at her.

"Uhh... if you suddenly found out that your friendship was something that god decided and not of your own accord?" she blurted out.

"...what?" both Ryou and Shiro looked at her in confusion.

"Well... I mean, what if we were directed to become friends, and... well..."

"it wouldn't matter, would it?" Shiro shrugged, catching both their attention. "Decided friendship? Don't make me laugh. There's no such thing. Any two idiots can meet and call themselves friends. However, try making them stick together for a year. No amount of god's meddling can ensure that. It's all up to the friends to stay that way." he yawned. "Sorry, but all this depressing talk is really tiring me out."

"What brought that up, anyways?" Ryou asked her, eyebrows raised. "That's really unlike you."

"Shu-shut up! It was only a hypothetical question." she huffed. "Come on. Let's go home." And with that, the three walked out of the cafe.

XXXXX

"Here they come." a black haired male in a high school uniform grinned as he watched the trio from a rooftop. "What the heck? They're still in middle school? Well, I suppose that a mahou shoujo doesn't usually live past 15..." he muttered to himself.

He opened a bag. Inside were at least a dozen grief seeds, all of them pitch black.

"Let's see how they fare against... ahh, here's a nice one." the guy grinned as he pulled out a certain grief seed. "Now, hatch, baby."

XXXXX

Ryou felt something was wrong. The trio had walked back home through this route plenty of times and should have known corner in and out. However, that wasn't the case.

"I swear I saw that tree two minutes ago." Shiro said, pointing at one of their landmark trees.

"That's not possible..." Ryou scratched his head. Suddenly, Reiko spoke. "My soul gem is reacting. There's something here."

Shiro looked at the two of them. "Are you two... going to fight again?"

Ryou nodded in response. "Yeah." he answered as he took out the briefcase which contained the Faiz gear. "Lead the way." he said to Reiko.

The trio walked the distance to the witch's layer in silence. _They're going off to fight again... _Shiro lamented sadly. There was a few more minutes of walking, and then Reiko stopped. "It's here." she said, standing in front of a large tree.

"Alright." Ryou opened the briefcase and flipped his cellphone open. "Shiro, you stay here." he instructed as he input "555."

"Standing by."

"Henshin!" he yelled, then inserted the phone into the belt, transforming him into Kamen Rider Faiz. Reiko, meanwhile, engulfed herself in the light of the soul gem and transformed into her mahou shoujo form, twirling her halberd and slicing open a dimensional rift leading into the witch's labyrinth. "Come on." she said to Ryou. "Let's go."

The two hopped in, and Shiro was alone again.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" a voice called form behind him. Startled, he turned jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a blur that also leapt into the portal.

XXXXX

"Let's finish this thing up quick. I want to go home." Ryou said, cracking his knuckles as they faced what appeared to be a doll in a candyland. "This looks like something you would have displayed on your bed."

"Shut up." she said, impaling it simply. It was weird. Why wasn't it fighting back? It's familiars put up a fight, but this doll wasn't doing anything. However, the source of the signal was clearly coming from this doll like creature. The two of them attacked it a bit more, Ryou even switching his phone to the Faiz Blaster and shooting at it, but it didn't do anything.

"Whatever. Let's just finish it." he said. Reiko nodded and threw the doll up high, preparing to impale it with her signature move.

Then it happened. The doll opened it's mouth and a large black worm with a clown's face lunged out, jaws open, glaring hungrily at Reiko, who had frozen in shock.

"Reiko!" Ryou yelled, desperately trying to make it in time. He wouldn't make it. That worm thing was just too fast.

"Exceed charge."

There was a flash, and then something yellow struck the worm like witch, stopping it mid-air. Confused, Ryou and Reiko turned around. What they saw shocked them.

A Kamen Rider walked towards them. Unlike Faiz, his eyes were purple and his outline was yellow. He also had a strangely shaped yellow sword, not unlike the Faiz Edge. Calmly, the mysterious Kamen Rider leapt into the air and slashed through the worm, destroying the witch with an explosion. As the labyrinth disappeared, the three of them found themselves at the normal human world.

"Ryou! Reiko! Are you two alright!" Shiro yelled as he ran up to them. He then noticed the third rider. "Who's this?"

"We... don't know." Reiko admitted. Ryou, however, took the initiative. "Hey," he said, turning to the newcomer, "Are you a Kamen Rider too?"

He did not respond.

"Well... uh, thanks for saving my friend back there." Ryou/Faiz offered his hand. "I'm the current holder of the Faiz gear. Nice to meet you."

The other Kamen Rider stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly, slashed Faiz across the chestplate, causing him to tumble backwards in pain.

"Ryou!" Reiko screamed. Shiro gasped too. "What did you do that for!"

"...why is a Kamen Rider working together with a Mahou Shoujo?" the other Kamen Rider asked coldly.

That phrase stopped all three of them. "...what?"

"I asked you." the other Kamen Rider repeated again. "Why is a Kamen Rider fighting alongside a Mahou Shoujo?"

"To fight witches together, what do you think!" Ryou snapped, but to his surprise the other Kamen Rider was laughing. Laughing horribly, as if he knew some dark secret that none of them did.

"What's so funny!" Shiro demanded.

"Ahaha... sorry, it's just... oh, that's rich." the Kamen Rider managed to suppress his laughter at last. "Did you really think that's why the rider gears were created? What do you think the purpose of the exceed charge is?"

Ryou could only remain silent. He had never thought of it... he had always assumed that the purpose of the Rider Gear was to fight witches.

"I'll tell you." The other Kamen Rider was leering behind the mask. "The purpose of Kamen Riders... is to kill mahou shoujo."

Ryou and Reiko gasped, while Shiro did not react. He was always the more level-headed of thr group, but even he had trouble digesting such a disturbing piece of information.

"You're lying!" Ryou yelled. "The Faiz Gear... it was given to me to protect her... why-"

"The original owner of the Faiz Gear was wrong." the purple Kamen Rider shook his head. "Jesus, I was warned you two didn't know anything... but I didn't think you would be this ignorant..."

"What do you mean?" Reiko asked. The stranger sighed. "Haven't you two ever wondered where Witches come from?"

"From other familiars, right?" Ryou answered carefully. The man, however, sighed again. "Only half right. Why do you think there's a large diversity?" When no one answered, he continued. "Because you-" he pointed at Reiko - "When soul gems like yours becomes pitch black and is corrupted... your soul becomes lost and it becomes a grief seed."

There was another stunned silence as Reiko went into shock. Ryou could not take it as well. Did that mean that Reiko was doomed to become a monster? That... that _thing_ she always talked about... that "Kyubey" or whatever... it had deceived her? How could it... how could it turn her hopes and dreams against her like that?

It just was not possible.

"You liar!" Ryou yelled, yelling his best hopes out loud. "You're lying! All of it! The part where I'm supposed to kill her... the part where she turns into a monster... you're lying! All of it!" The stranger had to be lying. He was lying to break their will. He was lying. Ryou desperately wanted him to be lying. It would make everything so much easier; if what he said was the truth it would make everything meaningless. With a yell, he charged at the stranger. He would beat it out of him. He would make him confess that he was lying; make him admit it was not true. However, he simply sighed and dodged to the side. As Ryou stumbled, he hit him in the back, causing Ryou to fall and the Rider Gear wore off, transforming him back into a normal boy.

"Ryou!" Reiko yelled, snapping out of her reverie and charging at the other Kamen Rider, but he easily overpowered her too. "You two are weak. Listen up. Your emotions are being used as energy."

"Emotions?" Shiro asked.

"Yes. There is a certain race out there that allows your emotion to become energy. For that to happen, mahou shoujo need to become witches."

"You... you bastard..." Ryou growled at the stranger.

"But when there becomes a certain balance of mahou shoujo and witches, the rate in which Mahou Shoujo becomes a witch becomes slow. So we move in and upset the balance, requiring more people to make the contract, and therefore creating more witches."

Ryou could only lie in shock as the mysterious Kamen Rider sighed. It had to be a lie. There was no way the power he used to protect Reiko was supposed to kill her. He saved her so many times; how could it have been so drastically different from what he had hoped it to be? Why had he even held such a device in his hands then?

"I was hoping to talk some sense into you, Faiz, and I was hoping to turn the mahou shoujo into a witch too. In fact, I might as well..." he walked towards a trembling Reiko, a strange device in his hand, eyeing her soul gem.

When, suddenly, Shiro leapt and snatched the device out of the Rider's hands.

"Hey! Boy! Give that back!" the Rider yelled as Shiro ran away with the corrupter. "Now that's a pickle..." he groaned as he walked, his sword in hand. "Come out boy! Come out and I won't hurt you!"

Shiro held his breath in an alleyway. Whoever this Kamen Rider was, he wasn't friendly. He had attacked his friends and made them give up. However, he wasn't about to do the same thing. His friends had always been there for him. Now, he was going to repay that. He may not know all that about witches and mahou shoujo and Kamen Riders or whatever the hell that man was talking about, but he was determined to do something.

Even if that something seemed extremely foolish. Such as aggravating a person who could easily kill him if he found him.

"Boy... I'm warning you. You're testing my patience." the strange Kamen Rider growled as Shiro panicked. His eyes glanced over the device and read the words: "Kaixa", deciding that, like Ryou was Faiz, this strange Kamen Rider's name was Kaixa. As Kaixa passed through the alley Shiro held his breath, desperately praying that he would not be found. He didn't feel brave at all right now. He felt as if his legs were jelly, as if his bladder would explode, as if his heart was trying to escape the rib cage. However, he did not dare move nor make a sound.

"Boy..." Kaixa growled as he passed without noticing the alley. "Come out, I'm warning you..."

However, the footsteps got softer and softer, and eventually Shiro realized that Kaixa had not found him. Knowing that, he allowed a sigh of relief.

"Gotcha."

With a yell, he jolted as if he was electrified and dropped the strange device onto the ground. He turned to see Kaixa there, his sword in his hand. His heart seemed to be jumping harder than ever and he closed his eyes.

_I'm dead and I know it oh why did I do this Ryou Reiko I'm so sorry yet I blame you two at the same time but it's not your fault it was my fault for being too weak Reiko I'm sorry I can't stop him I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop him I'm sorry for being so weak I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry He's going to kill me He's going to kill me He's going to kill me He's going to kill me He's going to kill me I stole that thing from him and he's gong to kill me he's going to kill me I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die..._

_ ...I'm going to die._

As Kaixa pointed his sword at him, he spoke. "What's your name, boy?"

"m-my name?" he stammered as he opened his eyes slowly. Was it that man's policy to learn the names of his victims? Yes, that was probably it. "Shi-Shiro... Mizuhiro Shiro..."

"Mizuhiro?" Kaixa asked strangely. Suddenly, he nodded as it all made sense. To Shiro's shock, the Kamen Rider that was about to kill him began to laugh.

When someone who has a deadly weapon pointed at you begins to laugh, that is never a good sign.

"You're in luck, boy." Kaixa said, resting the sword on his shoulders. "I have a specific reason not to kill you, so you're gonna live."

Shiro nearly collapsed in relief at this news. However, he was still paranoid. What if this was a trick of some sort? Was he about to say "psyche" and stab him? Was he raising a false hope just to make the death that much more painful and upsetting?

"However, the fact remains that you stole my device. Stealing is bad, boy. I'm going to teach you a lesson."

And with that, he kicked Shiro with full force on the stomach, causing him go cough up a few drops of blood as he kneeled on the floor, clutching his shocked digestive system. His vision blurred and he began to see three Kaixas as he was on the ground, moaning in pain. The strange device fell from his hands and landed beside him. He knew that if Kaixa got his hands on it, he would use it to turn Reiko into a monster. However, he willed his body to move, to stop Kaixa, to pick up the device, but they refused to listen.

He had always tried for a chance to protect Ryou and Reiko. He had his chance. He failed miserably.

"That'll teach you to steal." Kaixa muttered as he picked up the corrupter. "Now I'm bored. You know what, kid? You've impressed me. Not many people would do what you did. For that' I'll give you guys a week to say goodbyes to your mahou shoujo friend before I corrupt her."

And with that, he left, disappearing as Shiro lay in pain, tears streaming from his eyes.

XXXXX

END of chapter two.

XXXXX

Shiro: Aaaand now, starting this chapter, we have the "Over the Fourth Wall" corner, where I, Shiro, an apparently weak, minor and side character, will interview various characters from the fic. First up, we have my friend and protagonist, Shirokawa Ryou.

Ryou: Um... what's going on?"

Shiro: That's what I wanna ask... how did you react when you found out your powers are supposed to kill Reiko instead of saving her?

Ryou: It was... a shock, actually. I mean, the woman from chapter one told me it was supposed to protect her... I don't know what that prick of an author is doing, making such a stupid system like that...

Shiro: Speaking of the author, he made you do various movements when you transform into Faiz, right? What do you think of that?"

Ryou: First of all, I would like to stress the fact I think the author's a prick. Second, I have no idea why he would make me yell out "henshin" at the beginning of each transformation. Also...

Shiro: What?

Ryou: 'Romance' isn't a genre here, right?

Shiro: It might be, if you ask the author desperately enough. Why?

Ryou: ...nothing at all.

Shiro: Looks like time's up. Any last words?

Ryou: ...I hate the author.

Shiro: Right... *turns towards the audience* Please note that the author does not own Kamen Rider nor Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Also, please review.


End file.
